GALESBURG, Ill. — The Knox College baseball team faced just a two-run deficit against visiting Ripon College after six innings, but the Red Hawks scored 10 runs over the next two frames to defeat the Prairie Fire in a Midwest Conference game on Sunday afternoon at Blodgett Field, 16-5. Evan Olson was a perfect 4-for-5 with three runs and five RBIs to help Ripon (6-9, 2-1 MWC) claim the series, two games to one, over Knox (9-9, 1-2 MWC).
Senior Etienne Thomas was one of four Prairie Fire batters with two hits in the game as he enjoyed a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs. But it wasn't nearly enough to counter the 18-hit Red Hawk attack.
Knox took an early lead in the first, however, plating two runs on an RBI single off the bat of yesterday's walk-off hero, first-year Hayden Derlein, and a sacrifice fly courtesy of sophomore Nicholas Nitti. But Ripon answered right back with two of its own on a pair of RBI singles.
Olson gave the Red Hawks a 5-2 lead in the third as he blasted a three-run homer out to right-center, his third of the season. Like Ripon, the Prairie Fire responded quickly, pushing two runs across the plate, though it could have been more. Derlein tried to stretch a leadoff double into a triple and was gunned down on a perfect relay, but after an error, junior Thomas Wilmot ripped an RBI double to the left-center gap. Two batters later, Thomas lofted a sacrifice fly to right, closing the gap to one at 5-4.
An Olson RBI single in the fifth gave Ripon a little breathing room, sending Knox first-year starter Jacob Halseth (2-2) to the showers trailing 6-4. The score remained that way until the Red Hawks strung together three consecutive, two-out RBI doubles in th seventh. And when they exploded for seven more in the eighth, the rest of the game was academic.
Knox tried to rally to avoid ending the game by the run rule. Thomas singled home senior Holden Jones after he swatted a leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth, but the rally petered out as Ripon's Michael Sheehy (1-1) retired the next three batters to finish his complete-game victory. The right-hander scattered 11 hits and walked one in allowing five runs, three earned, while striking out one.
Knox will be back in action next week with another three-game Midwest Conference series at Blodgett Field when Illinois College (13-8, 3-1 MWC) comes to town. The doubleheader on Saturday, April 5 will begin at noon as will Sunday's finale. All three games will be streamed live with stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox Athletics.
